11. Merry Christmas

The snow got deeper and deeper as the winter wore on. Zoe was up to mid-calf as she walked to her work in the Sarmatian building of the Roman fort. At least in there, and on the cart track leading to it, the snow was worn down to slush and she could walk more easily. It was easy to fall when the drifts were deep.

One morning while walking along, half-asleep and breathing on her fingers in a vain attempt to warm them and shivering a little despite the thick woollen dress and cloak she wore, she'd tripped over something jutting out from the ground.

'Fuck!' Zoe cried out. The snow was bloody cold! It was melting on her dress, and she knew from her own experience that this dress took forever to dry. Her cloak, never the most convenient garment, was twisted around her neck and dragging on the ground.

She tried to get up as quickly as she could to get out of the snow, but she tripped on the hem on her dress. Damn thing came down to her ankles! What she wouldn't give for tracksuit pants and decent snow boots. The cloak was useless at keeping out the cold and her dress was getting absolutely soaked! Before she could make another attempt at getting upright, she was hauled to her feet by a strong hand around her arm.

'Ow! What'd you do that for?' Zoe's complaint died in her throat as she saw exactly who had pulled her out of the snow.

'You looked like you needed help.' Tristan. And he was still bloody scary. And today he had a dead rabbit in his hand. How charming.

'Th-thank you,' Zoe stammered out.

He nodded to her and walked off without another word in the direction of the fort, shaggy hair obscuring his face. What the hell? Zoe thought. Sure, she often saw the knight on her walks to her work, however never before had he helped her, or even acknowledged her. And he was still terribly frightening. There was something threatening about him, even when he was helping her out of the slush. But perhaps that was because he had half-yanked her arm off just before.

Zoe attempted to stop her cloak from strangling her; it was hanging to the side and cutting off her air supply.

She struggled onwards, trying to walk in Tristan's footsteps, at least until the snow turned to slush when Zoe reached the cart tracks that led to the Roman fort. She met Liliana around halfway to the fort.

'Zoe, why are you all wet?' Liliana asked, a frown creasing her face.

'I fell over. Twice.' Zoe flapped her skirt a few times in a vain attempt to dry it out. She shivered at the slap of wet wool across her legs and the rush of bitterly cold air she accidentally let in between her dress and her skin. 'Oh, I will be so happy when spring comes and I feel properly warm again.'

'It's not even midwinter yet, Zoe! Poor you, you'll freeze that way, I'm absolutely sure of it. Quick, we'll hurry.'

And they did hurry, but by the time Zoe had reached the fort she was shivering violently, despite the fast pace they'd been walking at. Today had got to be one of the coldest days in all history, Zoe was sure of it. And, just to make things better for her, the wind was picking up and making Zoe even colder.

Together, Zoe and Liliana dashed through the door of the building that housed the knights.

'Oh, you're cold through! We need to get you somewhere warm, Zoe,' Liliana exclaimed, once she saw Zoe's chattering teeth and shaking hands. 'We've got to act quickly, before you catch cold.'

'Y-you don't get c-colds from being cold,' Zoe said through her trembling. It was freezing! Absolutely freezing.

'Oh, Zoe, you're soaked!' It was Blanchefleur, as loud as ever. 'You must be freezing!' She had come up from the laundry, so her cloak was discarded, but she appeared to be carrying it in her hands.

'Stating the obvious, B-Blanchefleur,' Zoe snapped.

'Good thing I've got a blanket for you, then, isn't it?' She said, just as snappishly, throwing what Zoe had mistaken for her cloak at the shivering girl.

'How did you know she'd need it?' Liliana asked as she removed Zoe's wet cloak.

'Sir Tristan said she might need it,' Blanchefleur replied, helping Zoe tuck the blanket around her.

'Since when do you talk to Sir Tristan?' Liliana asked as they walked towards the laundry.

'I was just down there,' Blanchefleur gestured down a corridor Zoe had never gone down before, 'in the kitchens, talking with my cousin. Sir Tristan gave Cook a rabbit and told me to get Zoe a blanket.'

'Oh.' Zoe felt warmer, suddenly.

'Something you wish to tell us, Zoe?' Liliana teased, shaking Zoe's shoulders gently.

'No!'

'Oh, stop teasing her and let's get to work. I'm supposed to be making Sir Percival a new tunic and I need to finish it this week!' Blanchefleur dragged them both even faster towards the laundry, where Zoe could crouch over a brazier and, hopefully, dry off a little before facing the cold weather again.

'How do you make a new tunic?' Zoe asked. She'd watched Braewyn make her winter dresses, but she couldn't make sense of how the material fit together, or how to make it fit right.

'Why do you want to know?' Liliana asked as they took their customary places in the laundry, to wait and warm their fingers before Evelyn and Lucia arrived.

'I want to make Braewyn a present, to thank her for taking care of me,' Zoe replied. And, although she couldn't explain to her friends, it would be a Christmas present for the old woman. There was no real Christmas celebration as she knew it, but Zoe had decided she would feel terrible if she let it go past without marking it in some significant way.

'I'd suggest a cloak-or maybe mittens. Useful now and easy to make. I don't think you're up to making something like a dress now,' Blanchefleur said.

'Who's not up to making a dress now? Zoe? Of course you can't make a dress on your first try.' That was Evelyn. 'A cloak, perhaps? They're much simpler to fit than anything else.'

'That was Blanchefleur's suggestion, too,' Zoe said. 'Would somebody show me how? I have enough saved for the material.'

'I suppose I could show you how,' Blanchefleur offered.

'And I can help you get material,' Lucia said, smoothly joining the conversation the instant she arrived, taking her typical seat and warming her fingers over the brazier for a moment. 'My husband has to be good for something.'

'Lucia-he cares for you and protects you. Be grateful,' Evelyn scolded.

'If it wasn't for the stupid Roman laws I wouldn't need protecting,' Lucia scoffed. 'Anyway, come with me after work and I'll help you find some material in my husband's store.'

'Thank you,' Zoe said, pulling the blanket tighter around her and picking up a shirt as Evelyn and Liliana went to heat water to wash the dirty clothes that had been sent down. Lucia and Zoe started to work on the pile of clothes in need of mending. It was just as big now as it had been in the summer - apparently working with sharp objects resulted in the destruction of a large number of garments whatever the season. Blanchefleur was humming tunelessly as she began sewing together pieces of drab green cloth.

After a while sitting together in a comfortable silence, Lucia looked up and frowned at Zoe.

'What is it?' Zoe asked.

'Why are you wearing a blanket?'

Lucia was still making jokes about that later that day, when all their work was finished and they had collected their pay from Jols.

'I'll see you tomorrow, and I'll show you how to make that cloak,' Blanchefleur called and bounded away through the snow. Evelyn and Liliana said goodbye a little more conventionally, and both also offered to help Zoe make the cloak.

Lucia led Zoe to a shop in the centre of town. It was larger than most, and was, unusually enough for this village, made of stone and two stories high.

'I live here-up above the shop. Now, maybe we can find something nice. You said it was a present for Braewyn, yes?' Lucia opened the door and Zoe was confronted by row upon row of cloth, of all different types and colours. But purple was strangely absent.

'You don't have purple,' Zoe said.

'Do you have any idea how expensive it is?' Lucia demanded, reaching for a bolt of grey cloth. 'What do you think of this?'

Zoe reached out and felt it. It was thick and soft and, when Zoe stretched it and poked at it a bit, seemed to be fairly strong. 'I don't know much about cloth, Lucia. You tell me, is it good?'

'Would I have suggested it if it weren't?' Lucia sniffed.

'Sorry, sorry. I bow to your knowledge, my lady.'

'So you should. It's a thick, warm, strong and will last a long time. Also, it's within your means, so I'd suggest this one.' Lucia stroked the fabric. 'You'll need quite a bit of it, shall I cut it for you?'

'Yes, thank you, for helping me,' Zoe said.

'It's not for you, it's business,' Lucia said, but the smile she gave Zoe as she walked away after paying for the cloth said differently. 'Bring it tomorrow and Blanchefleur will help you make a cloak.'

Making it was both more difficult and easier than Zoe had expected. Cutting the cloth precisely and with the right measurements was something she had not thought would be hard, but it turned out that a good cloak was more intricate than she had previously thought. But the work of putting the pieces together was easy, if time consuming: particularly after all the time she had spent sewing over the last few months.

The hardest part was actually keeping it a secret from Braewyn, particularly as Christmas got closer and closer and Zoe needed more time to work on it. It wasn't as if it was easy, carrying around a whole cloak and trying to conceal it from people. Zoe ended up leaving the thing at the laundry while she put the finishing touches on it.

And no sooner had she finished it, with the enthusiastic help of Blanchefleur, than Evelyn commented that the mass to celebrate the birth of Christ was tomorrow evening.

'And that means Yule is tomorrow night!' Blanchefleur said, looking startled and worried for some reason.

'You will be coming to the mass, Zoe?' Evelyn asked, gripping Zoe's hand in hers. 'Please?'

'Yes, I'll be coming,' Zoe replied. Zoe had, for as long as she could remember, gone to the Christmas service of Church, at first because her parents dragged her, then to remember her grandmother. Just because she was hundreds of years in the past didn't mean she had to break that tradition.

'And you'll come to Yule afterwards, yes? Yule starts when the sun goes down, but it goes all night, so you won't have to worry about missing out on anything,' Lucia said.

'Yes, I'll come,' Zoe said, a little more hesitantly.

'And this time, I will make you dance!' Blanchefluer cried.

'How do you plan to do that? By throwing her at someone?' Liliana asked. She'd been ill recently, and was quieter than usual, although the glow was returning to her cheeks.

'I'll find a way,' Blanchefleur threatened. 'Will you be coming this year?' She asked Liliana.

'Yes, I think so. I can't go to the mass because my parents are holding a celebration and inviting some legionaries they want me to meet, but they have said if I behave myself I will be allowed to go to Yule afterwards,' Liliana smiled wanly, stitching shut a gaping tear in one of Galahad's shirts.

'Oh, poor you, Liliana. I hope they're nice,' Evelyn said, patting her friend on the shoulder.

'So your parents are at it again. Parading you like a side of meat. What else did you expect?' Lucia asked, not disturbed at all by the glares that came from Liliana and Evelyn.

'Wait, your parents are inviting legionaries over so that they can do what exactly?' Zoe interrupted, before either Evelyn or Liliana could say anything.

'My parents want me to get married, Zoe, you know this. And, since I have apparently failed to find a suitable partner on my own, they think it's time for them to help me out.'

'Gross!' Zoe exclaimed.

'Actually, it's rather normal,' Blanchefleur said. 'My father's introduced me to so many men, but none of them were right.'

'Maybe they'd be right if you got your head out of the clouds and stopped dreaming of Sir Percival,' Lucia snapped.

'You're just jealous!' Blanchefleur said, tossing her hair back over her shoulders.

'At least I've had him,' Lucia snarled back. 'Because he hasn't looked at you once!'

Before it could get out of hand, Evelyn stepped in, as she usually did. 'Do you have your eye on anyone. Liliana?' Gossip like this was always enough to divert Blanchefleur from any other conversation, unless it was about Percival.

Liliana grinned, but shook her head. 'No, I'm afraid not. Although Blanchefleur's cousin was trying to convince me to take a detour with him a week or so ago.'

'What? Why didn't I hear about this?' Blanchefleur asked, definitely distracted from the argument that had been building.

'Because I don't like him at all,' Liliana answered. 'He's got pimples, he smells terrible and even though he knows nothing about me, he won't stop asking me to his bed.'

'You have to admit, Blanchefleur, that doesn't sound too nice,' Zoe laughed and got up to check if the clothes Liliana and Evelyn had washed earlier that day were dry.

At the end of the day, Zoe took the cloak that she'd made for Braewyn back to their house. There was no work tomorrow, Liliana had said, because the Romans had a celebration on the same day, so if Zoe was to give Braewyn the cloak, she'd have to bring it home that night. She'd give the cloak to Braewyn tonight, as it would be impossible to conceal it from her. They lived together and it wasn't as if there was much storage space. Pegs on the wall held Zoe's dresses and cloaks, and pegs lower down held her stockings. No underwear (which had taken some getting used to) and no shirts, skirts, trousers or anything else in the hosue. Zoe wasn't even sure where the trousers and t-shirt she'd worn on her arrival had gone anymore. So there wasn't much space to hide a new cloak, particularly if it was meant to be a surprise gift.

'Braewyn?' Zoe asked, hesitant and a little unsure of the welcome her gift would receive.

'What is it, Zoe?' Braewyn asked, looking up and smiling, beckoning Zoe in. Braewyn was cooking dinner, stirring a pot full of stew by the fire.

'Where I come from, it's a tradition that, on the day Jesus was born, we give presents to our family and other people we…love.' Zoe shifted uncomfortably, moving a little closer to the fire. 'We call it Christmas. And…well…happy Christmas.' Zoe handed the cloak to Braewyn, who was sitting somewhat shocked by the fire. What if Braewyn didn't like it? What if the old woman laughed at her?

The old woman took the cloak and held it up. 'Oh, Zoe.' She sounded like she was about to cry.

'I'm sorry if you don't like it, I really am, but I just thought-'

'It's wonderful, Zoe. I…I don't know what to say.' She was crying now, tears spilling out of her eyes and down her weathered old cheeks. She got up and hugged Zoe tightly, squeezing the air out of her.

Tears prickled Zoe's own eyes then, and words started spilling out of Zoe's mouth; she just couldn't stop them. 'You've been so good to me, and you didn't have to be, but you went out of your way for me, and you helped me and you made me stop being scared of everything and you made this place like home for me and thank you so much and…'

Zoe was overcome by sobs and she couldn't continue, but she clung to the old woman as hard as she could, crying from a mix of emotions-happiness, relief, love, sadness and, for some reason, she felt as if she'd lost something important.

And while she was crying in Braewyn's herb-scented embrace, she realized that she thought of this cottage, this leaky, smoky, dingy house, as home. She'd lost her old home now. She'd stopped thinking about how she could go home, how she could get out of here. Instead she was thinking about Yule, about how she wanted to fix the leaks in the roof in spring, about which knights or village men may make good partners, and about earning her way in this life.

The pair of them didn't move until a strange burning smell alerted the two of them that dinner was not just ready, but had been for a while. Zoe laughed and pulled back from the embrace, wiping her eyes and nose on her sleeve. When she cried, her nose tended to run as well as her eyes. No dramatically beautiful crying for Zoe, no, she ended up looking like a Snot Monster.

'Could you get the bowls, Zoe?' Braewyn asked, back to her usual calm self despite the tear-tracks on her face and they had a peaceful night together, talking about the little things they'd both done. It's like family, Zoe thought as she snuggled next to Braewyn in the smelly furs, murmuring sleepily that they'd have to wash them soon and falling asleep before Braewyn's answer reached her.

xxx

The next day was surprisingly dull. She'd woken up early, as she'd become used to, before realizing she didn't need to actually get up. Then she'd rolled over and went back to sleep, a luxury she hadn't been able to indulge in since she started to work at the Roman fort.

It was properly light when Zoe actually got up. She said Merry Christmas to Braewyn, had a breakfast of a rather wrinkly apple and bread and got dressed. Zoe decided that today she'd go to the proper baths, which were still open and delightfully warm, even in winter, so she fished out the money she needed to pay the bath house attendant and took some of Braewyn's lavender scented soap.

Zoe loved the baths and spent so long in the hottest pool that her skin was pink and wrinkly when she got out. But at least she smelled nice, and her hair was back to normal. It was quite long now, and Zoe had to tie it up in a messy bun before it dripped all over her clothes and froze her on her way back to Braewyn's house.

She spent the rest of the day lazing around, waiting for Evelyn to come and get her to go to Church. Lazing around, Zoe decided, was really boring. There was only so much to do, and she ended up going for a walk for a few hours to pass the time.

When she got back, she helped Braewyn cook dinner early, as there would apparently be lots to eat at Yule that night, and just after they'd finished cleaning it up there was a knock on the door.

'Evelyn!' Zoe opened the door to her friend, who had a parcel in her hands and was dressed in a much prettier dress than the one she usually wore. 'You look nice.'

Zoe was suddenly conscious of her work-worn, drab attire but Evelyn just smiled brilliantly at her.

'Here, I have something for you, from me, Liliana, Lucia and Blanchefleur.' She handed the parcel to Zoe and waited expectantly for her to open it.

Zoe pulled off the string tie and pulled away the cloth covering it eagerly. 'Oh, Evelyn!' Zoe pulled out a gorgeous green dress and held it against herself. 'It's beautiful! Why would you get something like this for me?'

'We guessed you didn't have anything nice to wear tonight. Actually, it was Lucia's suggestion, although if you tell her I told you that, I'd be killed.' Evelyn smiled. 'Put it on, we all want to see if we got it right. It's hard to make dresses without measurements, but Blanchefleur's not known as the best seamstress around for nothing.'

Zoe retreated to the corner of the house were her other dresses were hanging on pegs and, after checking to make sure Evelyn and Blanchefleur weren't watching (they were, in fact, having a discussion about the cloth of Zoe's dress) and stripped, shivering in the cold air.

She pulled on the new dress. It was more beautiful than anything she'd worn in a long time. It was warm, yes, and made of wool to be practical, but the colour was gorgeous and it fit just right.

'Oh, good, it fits!' Evelyn said when Zoe walked timidly over to the two other women. 'Turn around for a second,' she instructed, and pulled the ties at the back tighter than Zoe had had them done. 'There. Get your cloak!'

Zoe frowned down at the new way the dress was tied. It now clung to her body, but she was surprised that she didn't mind too much. She still had wide hips and a bit of a stomach on her, but she thought she probably looked better now than she ever had.

She grabbed her cloak, made of thick, brown cloth, and wrapped it around herself. 'Ready?' Zoe asked Evelyn.

'Good, let's go. We don't want to be late,' she said, and walked out of the house.

'I'll be at the Yule celebrations, Zoe, so don't worry about me,' Braewyn said, shooing Zoe out the door.

Zoe smiled and waved goodbye to the old woman, and followed her friend to the church.

It was more crowded than Zoe had ever seen it before, but then, she supposed she hadn't been to a proper mass, despite having been to the services. It was lit up and Zoe felt a twinge of trepidation as they walked up the stairs. A priest in full ceremonial robes was standing there, welcoming everyone as they entered the church.

'Welcome, my children,' he said to the two girls as they reached the doors, smiling benevolently at them and gesturing inside.

Inside was more beautiful than Zoe could have imagined. The dark wooden crucifix was surrounded by candles, and more light was given from torches that flared along the walls of the building. The gorgeously painted scenes of Christ's life that were on wooden screens behind the altar were lit up brilliantly by the firelight as opposed to covered with cloth. The chalice for mass was gleaming gold and the large Bible was resting open next to it. Holly, mistletoe and evergreen tree boughs were also set up around the Church. Zoe had never seen the Church decorated like this, and she thought it was more beautiful than even her church in the future.

Evelyn directed Zoe to a pew near the back and together they waited quietly for the service to begin, letting the gentle hum of the congregation pass over them.

'Can you see Arthur Castus?' Evelyn whispered suddenly, jabbing Zoe's ribs with her elbow.

Zoe looked where Evelyn was pointing to see that it was, indeed, Arthur Castus, dressed in clothes Zoe had seen occasionally when they had been brought down for laundering. 'Yes, why?'

'He's amazing, isn't he? I'm glad he found the time to come. The knights are leaving on a mission in two days, my father said, and Arthur's got a reputation for working too hard.'

'He's only doing what he has to,' Zoe defended him. 'He's doing his best for his men, doing his duty to them.'

'But he's also got a duty to God,' Evelyn whispered.

'Should that duty be more important than the one to the living?'

'It's his immortal soul I'm worried about,' Evelyn replied. 'Now shush, mass is starting.'

The service began when an old priest started reading from the Bible of the birth of Jesus, and Zoe thought it was very strange to hear familiar words in a different language.

The celebration was more formal and ritualistic than Zoe had ever experienced before, and it gave a feeling of great solemnity to the occasion, impressing upon Zoe the absolute importance of this event to these people. The service culminated with Communion, with the wafer being fed to Zoe from the hands of a priest. The familiarity of it made Zoe's heart twist a little, and she suddenly, desperately missed her old home. When the priest invited them to recite the Lord's Prayer, Zoe said the words along with the rest of the congregation, trying not to cry.

'For the kingdom, the power and the glory are yours, now and forever,' Zoe whispered as the congregation was dismissed, waiting until most of the people were gone before attempting to leave. Evelyn had hugged her goodbye, but had had to run off to join her family as soon as the priest ended the service.

She'd made it out the door, thanked the priest on her way out, and was walking down the stairs when she heard someone calling her name from the direction of the Church.

'Zoe! Would you give me a moment of your time?'

It was Arthur Castus, commander of the Sarmatian knights, future King of Britain, walking down the Church stairs, dressed in a wine-red tunic that Zoe herself had mended once and all Zoe could think was 'Why would a man like this want to talk to me?'

xxx

A/N: Got the chapter up a bit earlier than I thought I would (thank God for school holidays, even if it's the last day of them for me), so I hope you all enjoy!

As always, please tell me if Zoe is heading Mary-Sue direction, or if the knights seem OOC. Reviews are always loved!

To my reviewers, thank you so much! You're a great bunch of people and I'm happy you're enjoying it. To Homeric, my wonderful beta-you are brilliant, thanks for everything!

Disclaimer: Don't own anything.